


Dance

by fuzzybunny78



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Inspired by Canon, except the ending is a little different idk, in a silver garden with you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17900225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzzybunny78/pseuds/fuzzybunny78
Summary: I wrote this for a class and I thought it was good enough to post. I got an A on it so I mean ayyy gang gang. it pm has the same structure as the turnwheel support between berkut and rinea, but with a...darker ending. and you know me w my nods to canon dialogue heeheehee





	Dance

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia - Memory Prism #9 - May I Have This Dance?](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/459410) by Intelligent Systems. 



Rinea knew she didn’t belong there. She didn’t fit in among Rigel’s highest nobles, whose house names were known far and wide across the kingdom. She was fortunate enough to be better off than the peasants that inhabited the villages across the kingdom, but that didn’t make her feel any better. She was only a step above the middle class, barely classifying as a noble. Regardless, she was still of noble blood, and it was that blood that allowed her to step through the castle gates that fine winter night. 

Decked out in her most beautiful gown, she made her way through the royal garden. She had two white flowers of her own fashioned over each of her ears; a personal twist on keeping her ears warm in the harsh winter that encapsulated Rigel for most of the year. She knew she looked beautiful - the maids and butlers that worked for her family told her so as she was getting ready - but _feeling _beautiful was different than simply looking the part. Perhaps it was time to focus on the positive.__

__The garden in front of her was three times the size of her grove at home. There were flowers of all kinds displayed in small clusters: azaleas, pansies, wood-sorrels; any flower Rinea could think of was right there. It knocked the wind out of her._ _

__She stumbled forward into the oasis of flowers, eyes wide and mouth slack-jawed in awe. The royal garden: something she could only dream of. She thought the castle itself was impressive, but seeing the beautiful display of plants as far as the eye could see made her want to shake Emperor Rudolf’s hand. Whoever had been hired to tend the garden, Rinea thought, was the luckiest person in the world._ _

__“Wow…” Rinea whispered. A gentle snow was falling over the garden, snowflakes getting caught on the leaves and petals of the flowers. Many of the flowers bloomed in the winter, and those that didn’t were perennials. _Of course. Rigel is too strong for weak blooms _.___ _

____Rigel was a kingdom that took pride in its strength. It broke Rinea’s heart whenever she heard someone speaking ill of her homeland. She was proud of its status as the stronger between the two kingdoms of Valentia, but with that title came misconceptions. Rigel had a terrible reputation of being an evil place full of scorn and stalwart, savage people, in addition to rumors of ferocious people giving their lives to their god, Duma. By comparison, his ethereal sister, Mila of Zofia, was much more gentle and caring. Rinea saw herself in Mother Mila, but her Rigelian blood bound her to Father Duma._ _ _ _

_____Make the most of this night _, Rinea thought. You deserve to be here. You’re a noblewoman like any other.__ _ _ _ _

______She had been invited to a royal ball, but she decided to take a break from the formalities of a noble gathering. She felt the eyes of the other guests burn into her as she moved, even though she tried to mind her own business. What few conversations she had were trite and dull. _What has your father done to assist the Emperor? Have you any brothers, my dear? I hear our dashing Lord Berkut will be attending _. She found the company of nature much more appealing than a stuffy room full of strangers. All they talked about with women her age was the Emperor’s nephew. He was a young general and the Emperor’s only kin, and he was unmarried. Perhaps Rinea would have taken a liking if it wasn’t for the strange demeanor Berkut had. She couldn’t quite but her finger on it, but the way the young lord looked at people unsettled her.___ _ _ _ _ _

________Being outside now, the music sounded much more ethereal; the echoes of the performance had a certain magic about them, and Rinea’s feet began to move all on their own. Her dress swayed as she moved, mimicking the gentle stream of water pouring from the fountain. The gentle melody of the piano wafted through the air, and her footsteps moved with the pianist’s fingers against they keys, wherever he was._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She danced all around the fountain, moving her body like a flower in a gentle breeze. It was just her, the music, and the garden, and she would perform for an audience of blossoms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You there. What are you doing?” Voice said from behind her. Rinea’s body tensed as she was disturbed from her rhythm, and she stumbled backward over a crack in the concrete surrounding the aqueous centerpiece of the garden. Her hands shot out behind of her as she caught herself, and luckily she remained on her feet.  
The mystery visitor gasped when he saw her, and Rinea spun around to see who it was. Her mouth hung open as she took him in: Dark hair with eyes to match, black armor, and a tiara. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Lord Berkut!” Rinea exclaimed. Lord Berkut of Rigel, the Emperor’s nephew. He had followed her out here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Seeing him standing there brought her back to reality for a second too long. She shouldn’t have gone exploring. She had been invited to the _castle _, not the garden, and he surely had come to punish her. “P-pray, tell, my Lord, I did not mean to offend you. I will return to the ballroom immediately.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No,” Berkut held up his hand. “Not at all. I approached you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Berkut moved to stand beside Rinea, and his armor brushed against her arm. She shivered from the chill of his armor. The two were silent for a moment, and Rinea’s heart was pounding in her chest. Berkut was the most important man in Rigel behind his uncle. The civilians feared him, the nobles respected him, yet right here, he was a different man. His gaze lacked the usual searing burn it had when he stared at someone. His eyes were a beautiful chocolate brown, Rinea noticed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“The music sounds lovely here,” Berkut muttered, almost under his breath. It was a small sentence meant only for Rinea to hear. Her heart pounded faster._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I...yes,” Rinea nodded. “Yes, I much prefer it over to the ballroom. Sometimes it’s nice to appreciate the music from afar._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Do you not like dancing?” Berkut asked suddenly. Rinea lifted her gaze to look at him, and found that he was already eyeing her. Her cheeks flushed at the unexpected eye contact, but she didn’t break it. She wouldn’t dare show weakness to Rigel’s strongest general._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What? Um, no, that is to say, I love dancing. Most of the time, that is.” Rinea attempted a laugh. She was being ridiculous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Then, my lady, may I have this dance?” Berkut stepped in front of his fair maiden, hand extended in offering. Rinea’s eyes widened as she placed her gentle hand in his. “I...my lord…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You need not fear me here, my lady,” Berkut smiled. “I promise you no harm.”  
With that, Berkut pulled Rinea closer to him, his other hand finding its way down her body before finally settling on her waist. Rinea had no choice but to reciprocate, so she put her hand on his chest. He was beautiful up close. Noblewomen dreamed of a chance to dance with the young general. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Berkut began swaying with the distant music, Rinea close in tow. She kept her gaze locked with the handsome figure in front of her, and as they stared at each other, Rinea began noticing subtle things about his face. One eyelid was more open than the other, his bangs weren’t as even as they looked from a distance, and he constantly had a corner of his lip slightly raised. His lips were soft despite the cold, as were his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________As they danced, Rinea felt a calm energy wash over her. Berkut had her wrapped around his little finger, and she couldn’t care less. Was this love? Perhaps. Rinea was okay with that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Berkut hummed quietly along with the music, his hands never wandering anywhere they shouldn’t be. He was the spitting image of what a perfect gentleman should be, at least here, in the garden. They had been together for a few short moments, but Rinea was already raptured by him. She didn’t want this moment to end._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Hesitantly, she laid her head against Berkut’s freezing chest plate. A chill shot down her spine, but she was at peace. His breath rising and falling in his chest kept her warm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She was so calm in his arms that she did not notice his hand leave her waist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice the minutes that went by._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice the feeling of more than one piece of cool metal against the center of her back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice the dagger plunge into her backside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice her white dress become stained crimson._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice the light leaving her eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She did not notice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She was at peace._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> a one off? in my house? i wrote this quite some time ago but i just never found time to post it lmao. i hope to start writing more fire emblem soon, and i'm tossing around some ideas in my head about more fics surrounding these two. and fernand. ...lots of fernand.
> 
> i also have ko-fi comms open now! information is on my twitter @princeofdojima if you're interested :') i'd greatly appreciate if you'd check it out 
> 
> As always, feel free to follow me at the following handles: 
> 
> Twitter - @princeofdojima  
> Cosplay Instagram - @fuzzybunny78 (same way it's spelled here)


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